Apparatus and method for cursor control and text selection and editing based on gesture-based touch inputs received in a virtual keyboard display area

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method of editing text in a mobile terminal include a display unit, configured to display a text display area, a touch sensitive keypad display area, at least one text character in the text display area, and a cursor in the text display area; and at least one processor, configured to detect a first gesture in a touch input in the touch sensitive keypad display area, and control moving, upon detecting the first gesture, the cursor in the text display area, according to the touch input in the touch sensitive keypad display area. The first gesture includes a touch of a point in the touch sensitive keypad display area where no key is displayed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) of a Koreanpatent application filed on Apr. 10, 2013 in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office and assigned Serial No. 10-2013-0039016, the entiredisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a mobile terminal. More particularly,the present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for editing amessage in a mobile terminal.

BACKGROUND

Mobile terminals, such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, and thelike, provide users with various useful functions through variousapplications. Accordingly, the mobile terminal has evolved to a devicecapable of using various types of information in addition to a voicecall function through provision of various functions. Particularly, themobile terminal provides a message function of writing a messageincluding letters selected by a user and transmitting the message toanother terminal.

If a user touches a specific location in a text display area of a mobileterminal of the related art when inputting letters through a keypad, themobile terminal providing the message function moves a cursor to thetouched location.

However, if the user holds the mobile terminal of the related art in aposition for easily inputting letters on the keypad, the user mustchange the position in order to select the text display area.Furthermore, in order to select a specific location in the text displayarea, the user must touch an exact desired location between letters,which makes it difficult to move the cursor to the desired location.

The above information is presented as background information only toassist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determinationhas been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the abovemight be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure are to address at least theabove-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at leastthe advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the presentdisclosure is to provide an apparatus and method for editing a messageby moving a cursor through a keypad display area in a mobile terminal.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus andmethod for editing a message by adjusting a size of a selection areathrough a keypad display area in a mobile terminal.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus ofediting a message in a mobile terminal is provided. The apparatusincludes a display unit configured to display a text display area and akeypad display area, and to display at least one letter and a cursor inthe text display area, and a controller configured to move the cursoraccording to a first gesture performed in the keypad display area.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a method ofediting a message in a mobile terminal is provided. The method includesdisplaying a text display area and a keypad display area, displaying atleast one letter and a cursor in the text display area, and moving thecursor according to a first gesture performed in the keypad displayarea.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses various embodiments of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates screens on which a cursor moves according to a firstembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates screens on which area indicators are controlledaccording to a second embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates screens on which area indicators are controlledaccording to a third embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile terminal according to anembodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIGS. 5A to 5C are flowcharts illustrating a method for editing amessage in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood torefer to like parts, components, and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings isprovided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of variousembodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and theirequivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in thatunderstanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.Accordingly, those of ordinary skilled in the art will recognize thatvarious changes and modifications of the various embodiments describedherein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of thepresent disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functionsand constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by theinventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in theart that the following description of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for thepurpose of limiting the present disclosure as defined by the appendedclaims and their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes referenceto one or more of such surfaces.

In this disclosure, a mobile terminal is a portable electronic device,and may be a video phone, a mobile phone, a smart phone, anInternational Mobile Telecommunication 2000 (IMT-2000), a Wideband CodeDivision Multiple Access (WCDMA) terminal, a Universal MobileTelecommunication Service (UMTS) terminal, a Personal Digital Assistant(PDA), a Portable Multimedia Player (PMP), a Digital MultimediaBroadcasting (DMB) terminal, an E-Book reader, a notebook computer, atablet computer, or a digital camera.

FIG. 1 illustrates screens on which a cursor moves in a mobile terminalaccording to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, as illustrated on a screen 101, if an input forwriting a message is received from a user, the mobile terminal displaysa text display area and a keypad display area. The keypad display areais an area in which a keypad is displayed, and the text display area isan area in which a cursor and a letter, selected by the user from amongat least one letter included in the displayed keypad, are displayed. Thecursor is an indicator indicating a location at which the letterselected by the user is displayed in the text display area.

If a specific letter among letters included in the displayed keypad isselected by the user, the mobile terminal displays the selected specificletter at the location of the cursor displayed in the text display area,and places the cursor immediately after the displayed specific letter.For example, if a letter “N” 103 among letters included in the keypad issingle touched by the user, the mobile terminal may display the letter“N” in the text display area, and place the cursor at a first location105 just adjacent to “N”.

As illustrated on screens 107 and 115, if a first gesture (for example,a touch-and-drag operation) is performed in the keypad display area bythe user, the mobile terminal moves the cursor displayed in the textdisplay area according to an input location changed by the firstgesture. At this time, the mobile terminal may display an iconrepresenting that the first gesture is a gesture for moving the cursor,in the keypad display area, along a trace of the first gesture, untilthe first gesture terminates.

For example, if a touch-and-drag operation 109 of touching and thendragging in a left direction is performed, the mobile terminal may movethe cursor from the first location 105 to a corresponding secondlocation 113 according to an input location changed by thetouch-and-drag operation 109. Also, the mobile terminal may display anicon 111 above, or to the left or right of, the input location changedby the touch-and-drag operation 109, and may display a correspondingicon at the second location 113. If a drag operation 117 of dragging inan upper-right diagonal direction and then dragging in a right directionis performed, the mobile terminal may move the cursor from the secondlocation 113 to a corresponding third location 121 according to an inputlocation changed by the drag operation 117. At this time, the mobileterminal may display an icon 119 above, or to the left or right of,current coordinates at which the drag operation 117 is performed, andmay display a corresponding icon at the third location 121.

Then, if the first gesture has terminated, the mobile terminal stopsmoving the cursor, and displays the cursor moved by the first gesture,as illustrated in a screen 123. For example, if the drag operation 117has terminated at a location to which the third location 121corresponds, the mobile terminal may display the cursor at thecorresponding third location 121. After the operation is completed, theicons 111 and 119 are no longer displayed, and the mobile terminal mayreturn the displaying of the cursor 125 to a standard mode, asillustrated in screen 123.

FIG. 2 illustrates screens on which area indicators are controlledaccording to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, as illustrated on a screen 201, if a secondgesture (for example, a touch-and-drag operation) is performed on thekeypad display area, the mobile terminal moves the cursor displayed inthe text display area according to an input location changed by thesecond gesture.

For example, if a first touch-and-drag operation 203 of touching a firstspecific location and then dragging in a lower-left diagonal directionis performed by the user, the mobile terminal may move the cursor fromthe third location 121 to a fourth location 207 according to an inputlocation changed by the first touch-and-drag operation 203. At thistime, the mobile terminal may display an icon 205 in the keypad displayarea along a path of the first touch-and-drag operation 203. Here, theicon 205 is an icon representing that the first touch-and-drag operation203 is a gesture for moving the cursor. A corresponding icon may bedisplayed at the corresponding fourth location 207 of the cursor.

As illustrated on a screen 209, if a second gesture (for example, atouch-and-hold operation) 211 is performed in the keypad display area bythe user, the mobile terminal highlights a selection area including atleast one word 215 corresponding to a location at which the secondgesture 211 is performed among a plurality of words included in the textdisplay area, and displays first area indicators 217 indicating startand end points of the selection area. Here, “hold” means a gesture inwhich touching a specific location is maintained for a threshold timeperiod. At this time, the mobile terminal may also display second areaindicators 213 in the keypad display area according to the location atwhich the second gesture 211 is performed.

For example, if a touch-and-hold operation 211 of touching a specificlocation and then holding is performed by the user, the mobile terminalmay highlight a selection area 215 corresponding to a location at whichthe touch-and-hold operation 211 is performed, display first areaindicators 217 indicating start and end points of the selection area215, and display second area indicators 213 in the keypad display areaaccording to the location at which the touch-and-hold operation 211 isperformed.

Thereafter, as illustrated on a screen 219, if a third gesture (forexample, a drag operation) 221 following the second gesture 211 isperformed in the keypad display area by the user, the mobile terminalmoves one of the second area indicators 213 according to an inputlocation changed by the third gesture 221. The mobile terminal moves thefirst area indicator corresponding to the moved second area indicatoraccording to the location of the moved second area indicator, andhighlights a selection area changed by the movement of the first areaindicator.

For example, if a drag operation 221 of dragging in a right direction isperformed following the touch-and-hold operation 211, the mobileterminal may move the second area indicator 223 located in the movementdirection of the drag operation 221 among the second area indicators 213by the movement distance of the drag operation 221. The mobile terminalmay move the first area indicator 227 corresponding to the moved secondarea indicator 223, and highlight a selection area 225 changed by themovement of the first area indicator 227.

As illustrated on a screen 229, if the third gesture (for example, thedrag operation) 221 has terminated, the mobile terminal may display atext editing menu 231. The text editing menu 231 is a menu for editingat least one letter included in the selection area 225, and may includevarious menus, such as copy, paste, select all, etc. For example, whenthe drag operation 221 has terminated, the mobile terminal may displaythe text editing menu 231 in the text display area.

FIG. 3 illustrates screens on which area indicators are controlledaccording to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3, as illustrated on a screen 301, if at least one ofthe second area indicators is dragged by the user, the mobile terminalmoves the corresponding second area indicator according to the currentlocation at which the drag operation is performed. The mobile terminalmoves the first area indicator corresponding to the dragged second areaindicator among the first area indicators in consideration of thelocation of the dragged second area indicator, and highlights aselection area changed by the movement of the first area indicator.

For example, if one of the second area indicators is dragged inoperation 313 from a first location 305 to a second location 307, themobile terminal may move the first area indicator corresponding to thedragged second area indicator from a third location 309 to a fourthlocation 311, and highlight a selection area changed by the movement ofthe first area indicator.

If dragging one of the second area indicators has terminated, the mobileterminal may display a text editing menu 315. For example, asillustrated in screen 313, if operation 303 of dragging the second areaindicator has terminated, the mobile terminal may display a text editingmenu 315 in the keypad display area.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile terminal according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. The following description will begiven with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

Referring to FIG. 4, the mobile terminal includes a controller 401, adisplay unit 403, an input unit 405, and a memory unit 407.

The input unit 405 includes keys for allowing a user to input numericaland text information, and functional keys for setting various functions.The display unit 403 displays an image signal as a screen, and displaysdata controlled to be output by the controller 401. If the display unit403 is implemented as a touch screen, the input unit 405 may include aminimum number of keys, and the display unit 403 may provide a part ofthe key input functions of the input unit 405.

The memory unit 407 may include a program memory and a data memory (notshown). The program memory may store a booting and Operating System (OS)for controlling the general operations of the mobile terminal, and thedata memory may store various kinds of data created or received when themobile terminal operates.

The controller 401 performs a function of controlling the entireoperation of the mobile terminal Particularly, the controller 401determines whether an input for writing a message is received from auser through the input unit 405. If it is determined that the input forwriting a message is received, the controller 401 enters a text inputmode. The text input mode is a mode of receiving at least one letterselected by a user and creating a message including the selected atleast one letter.

Also, the controller 401 displays a text display area and a keypaddisplay area on the display unit 403, and corresponds coordinates of thetext display area to coordinates of the keypad display area,respectively. The keypad display area is an area in which a keypad isdisplayed, and the text display area is an area in which a cursor and aletter selected by a user from among at least one letter included in thedisplayed keypad are displayed. The text display area and the keypaddisplay area may have predetermined sizes, respectively. The cursor isan indicator indicating a location at which the letter selected by theuser in the text display area is displayed.

The controller 401 corresponds the coordinates of the text display areato the coordinates of the keypad display area in consideration of a sizeratio between the text display area and the keypad display area. Forexample, if a size ratio between the test display area and the keypaddisplay area is 1:1, the controller 401 may 1:1 correspond thecoordinates of the text display area to the coordinates of the keypaddisplay area. As another example, if a size ratio between the textdisplay area and the keypad display area is 2:1, the controller 401 may2:1 correspond the coordinates of the text display area to thecoordinates of the keypad display area.

The controller 401 determines whether a letter among a plurality ofletters included in the displayed keypad is selected by the user throughthe input unit 405. If a specific letter is selected, the controller 401displays the selected specific letter at the location of a cursordisplayed in the text display area, and places the cursor next to thedisplayed specific letter. For example, if a letter “N” among at leastone letter included in the keypad is single touched by the user, thecontroller 401 displays “N” in the text display area and places a cursor105 just adjacent to “N”, as illustrated on the screen 101 of FIG. 1.

The controller 401 determines whether a first gesture (for example, atouch-and-drag gesture) is performed in the keypad display area by theuser.

If it is determined that the first gesture is performed, the controller401 moves the cursor displayed in the text display area according to aninput location changed by the first gesture. In more detail, thecontroller detects coordinates of the text display area, correspondingto current coordinates at which the first gesture is performed, andmoves the cursor to the detected coordinates of the text display area.

At this time, the controller 401 may display an icon representing thatthe first gesture is a gesture for moving the cursor, in the keypaddisplay area, along a path of the first gesture, until the first gestureterminates.

For example, if a touch-and-drag operation 109 of touching and thendragging in a left direction is performed, the controller 401 may detectcoordinates of the text display area, corresponding to currentcoordinates of a location at which the touch-and-drag operation 109 isperformed, as illustrated on the screen 107 of FIG. 1. If the detectedcoordinates are coordinates of the second location 113, the controller401 may move the cursor from the first location 105 to the secondlocation 113. The controller 401 may display the icon 111 above, or tothe left or right of, the current location at which the touch-and-dragoperation 109 is performed.

If the first gesture has terminated, the controller 401 stops moving thecursor, and displays the cursor moved by the first gesture. For example,if a dragging operation 117 has terminated at a specific location 119,the controller 401 may detect coordinates of a third location 121corresponding to coordinates of the specific location 119, and displaythe cursor at the third location 121.

The controller 401 determines whether a second gesture (for example, atouch-and-hold operation) is performed by the user through the inputunit 405.

If it is determined that the second gesture is performed, the controller401 switches a text input mode to a text selection mode. The textselection mode is a mode of selecting at least one letter displayed onthe text display area and editing the selected at least one letter.

The controller 401 highlights a selection area corresponding to theinput location of the second gesture, and displays first area indicatorsindicating start and end points of the selection area. In detail, thecontroller 401 detects coordinates of the text display area,corresponding to current coordinates of the second gesture, designates aselection area including at least one letter located on the detectedcoordinates, highlights the designated selection area, and displaysfirst area indicators for the designated selection area.

The controller 401 displays second area indicators in the keypad displayarea according to the input location of the second gesture. In moredetail, the controller 401 detects the current coordinates of the secondgesture, displays second area indicators spaced by a distance betweenthe first area indicators according to the detected current coordinatesof the second gesture, and corresponds the first area indicators to thesecond area indicators.

For example, if a touch-and-hold operation 211 of touching a specificlocation and then holding is performed by the user, as illustrated onthe screen 209 of FIG. 2, the controller 401 may designate a selectionarea 215 corresponding to coordinates at which the touch-and-holdoperation 211 is performed, highlight the designated selection area 215,and display first area indicators 217. Also, the controller 401 maydisplay second area indicators 213 spaced by a distance between thefirst area indicators 217 in the keypad display area according to thecoordinates at which the touch-and-hold operation 211 is performed, andcorrespond the first area indicators 217 to the second area indicators213.

The controller 401 displays a text editing menu. The text editing menuis a menu for editing at least one letter included in the selection area225, and may include various menus, such as copy, paste, select all,etc.

Thereafter, the controller 401 determines whether a third gesture (forexample, a drag operation) following the second gesture is performed inthe keypad display area by the user through the input unit 405. If it isdetermined that the third gesture is performed, the controller 401 movesone of the second area indicators according to an input location changedby the third gesture. The controller 401 moves the first area indicatorcorresponding to the moved second area indicator among the first areaindicators according to the location of the moved second area indicator,and highlights a selection area changed by the movement of the firstarea indicator.

In more detail, the controller 401 detects current coordinates of thethird gesture, selects the second area indicator located closest to thecurrent coordinates of the third gesture between the second areaindicators, and moves the corresponding second area indicator accordingto the current coordinates of the third gesture. The controller 401detects coordinates of the moved second area indicator, detectscoordinates of the text display area corresponding to the coordinates ofthe second area indicator, moves the first area indicator correspondingto the moved second area indicator to the detected coordinates of thetext display area, re-designates a selection area according to themovement of the first area indicator, and highlights the re-designatedselection area.

For example, if a drag gesture 221 of dragging in a right direction,following the touch-and-hold operation 211, is performed by the user, asillustrated on the screen 219 of FIG. 2, the controller 401 may move thesecond area indicator 223 located in the movement direction of the dragoperation 221 among the second area indicators 213 by the movementdistance of the drag operation 221. The controller 401 may detectcoordinates of the moved second area indicator 223, move the first areaindicator 227 corresponding to the second area indicator 223 tocoordinates of the text display area, corresponding to the coordinatesof the second area indicator 223, and highlight a selection area 225changed by the movement of the first area indicator 227.

The controller 401 determines whether the third gesture (for example, adrag operation) has terminated by the user through the input unit 405.

If it is determined that the third gesture has terminated, thecontroller 401 displays a text editing menu. For example, if thetouch-and-drag operation 221 has terminated, the controller 401 maydisplay a text editing menu 231 in the keypad display area, asillustrated on the screen 229 of FIG. 2.

The controller 401 determines whether one of the second area indicators213 is touched and dragged by the user.

If a drag operation of dragging one of the second indicators 213 isperformed, the controller 401 moves the dragged second indicatoraccording to a location at which the drag operation is currentlyperformed. The controller 401 moves the first area indicatorcorresponding to the dragged second area indicator among the first areaindicators in consideration of the location of the dragged second areaindicator, and highlights a selection area changed by the movement ofthe first area indicator.

For example, referring to FIG. 3, if one of the second area indicatorsis dragged in an operation 303 from the first location 305 to the secondlocation 307, the controller 401 may move the first area indicatorcorresponding to the dragged second area indicator from the thirdlocation 309 to the fourth location 311, and highlight a selection areachanged by the movement of the first area indicator.

If dragging one of the second area indicators has terminated, thecontroller 401 displays a text editing menu. For example, if operation303 of dragging the second area indicator has terminated, the controller401 may display a text editing menu 315 in the keypad display area.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are flowcharts illustrating a method for editing amessage in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The following description will be given with reference toFIGS. 1 through 5A to 5C.

Referring to FIGS. 5A to 5C, in operation 501, the controller 401determines whether an input for writing a message is received from auser. If it is determined that the input for writing a message isreceived, the controller 401 proceeds to operation 503, and otherwise,the controller 401 repeatedly performs operation 501.

In operation 503, the controller 401 enters a text input mode, and thenproceeds to operation 505. The text input mode is a mode of receiving atleast one letter selected by a user and creating a message including theselected at least one letter.

In operation 505, the controller 401 displays a text display area and akeypad display area, corresponds coordinates of the text display area tocoordinates of the keypad display area, respectively, and then proceedsto operation 507. The keypad display area is an area in which a keypadis displayed, and the text display area is an area in which a cursor anda letter selected by the user from among at least one letter included inthe displayed keypad are displayed. The text display area and the keypaddisplay area may have predetermined sizes, respectively. The cursor isan indicator indicating a location at which a letter selected by theuser in the text display area is displayed.

The controller 401 corresponds the coordinates of the text display areato the coordinates of the keypad display area, respectively, inconsideration of a size ratio between the text display area and thekeypad display area. For example, if a size ratio between the testdisplay area and the keypad display area is 1:1, the controller 401 may1:1 correspond the coordinates of the text display area to thecoordinates of the keypad display area, respectively. As anotherexample, if a size ratio between the text display area and the keypaddisplay area is 2:1, the controller 401 may 2:1 correspond thecoordinates of the text display area to the coordinates of the keypaddisplay area, respectively.

In operation 507, the controller 401 determines whether a letter among aplurality of letters included in the displayed keypad is selected by theuser. If a specific letter is selected, the controller 401 proceeds tooperation 509, and otherwise, the controller 401 proceeds to operation511.

In operation 509, the controller 401 displays the selected specificletter at the location of a cursor displayed in the text display area,and places the cursor next to the displayed specific letter. Forexample, if a letter “N” among at least one letter included in thekeypad is single touched by the user, the controller 401 displays “N” inthe text display area and places a cursor 105 just adjacent to “N”, asillustrated on the screen 101 of FIG. 1.

In operation 511, the controller 401 determines whether a first gesture(for example, a touch-and-drag gesture) is performed in the keypaddisplay area by the user. If it is determined that the first gesture isperformed, the controller 401 proceeds to operation 513, and otherwise,the controller 401 proceeds to operation 515.

In operation 513, the controller 401 moves the cursor displayed in thetext display area according to an input location changed by the firstgesture, and then proceeds to operation 515. In more detail, thecontroller 401 detects coordinates of the text display area,corresponding to current coordinates at which the first gesture isperformed, and moves the cursor to the detected coordinates.

The controller 401 may display an icon representing that the firstgesture is a gesture for moving the cursor, in the keypad display area,along a trace of the first gesture, until the first gesture terminates.

For example, if a touch-and-drag operation 109 of touching and thendragging in a left direction is performed, the controller 401 may detectcoordinates of the text display area, corresponding to currentcoordinates at which the touch-and-drag operation 109 is performed, asillustrated on the screen 107 of FIG. 1. If the detected coordinates arecoordinates of the second location 113, the controller 401 may move thecursor from the first location 105 to the second location 113. At thistime, the controller 401 may display the icon 111 above, or to the leftor right of, the current location at which the touch-and-drag operation109 is performed.

If the first gesture has terminated, the controller 401 stops moving thecursor, and displays the cursor moved by the first gesture. For example,if a dragging operation 117 has terminated at the specific location 119,the controller 401 may detect coordinates of the third location 121,corresponding to coordinates of the specific location 119, and displaythe cursor at the third location 121.

In operation 515, the controller 401 determines whether a second gesture(for example, a touch-and-hold operation) is performed in the keypaddisplay area by the user. If it is determined that the second gesture isperformed, the controller 401 proceeds to operation 517, and otherwise,the controller 401 proceeds to operation 507.

In operation 517, the controller 401 switches the text input mode to atext selection mode, and then proceeds to operation 519. The textselection mode is a mode of selecting at least one letter displayed onthe text display area and editing the selected letter.

In operation 519, the controller 401 highlights a selection areacorresponding to the input location of the second gesture in the textdisplay area, displays first area indicators indicating start and endpoints of the selection area, and then proceeds to operation 521. Inmore detail, the controller 401 detects coordinates of the text displayarea, corresponding to the current coordinates of the second gesture,designates a selection area including at least one letter located at thedetected coordinates of the text display area, highlights the designatedselection area, and then displays first area indicators for thedesignated selection area.

In operation 521, the controller 401 displays second area indicators inthe keypad display area according to the input location of the secondgesture, and then proceeds to operation 523. In more detail, thecontroller 401 detects the current coordinates of the second gesture,displays second area indicators spaced by a distance between the firstarea indicators according to the detected current coordinates of thesecond gesture, and corresponds the first area indicators to the secondarea indicators, respectively.

For example, if a touch-and-hold operation 211 of touching a specificlocation and then holding is performed by the user, as illustrated onthe screen 209 of FIG. 2, the controller 401 may designate a selectionarea 215 corresponding to coordinates at which the touch-and-holdoperation 211 is performed, in the text display area, highlight thedesignated selection area 215, and then display first area indicators217. Also, the controller 401 may display second area indicators 213spaced by a distance between the first area indicators 217, in thekeypad display area, according to the coordinates at which thetouch-and-hold operation 211 is performed, and correspond the first areaindicators 217 to the second area indicators 213, respectively.

In operation 523, the controller 401 displays a text editing menu, andproceeds to operation 525. The text editing menu is a menu for editingat least one letter included in the selection area 225, and may includevarious menus, such as copy, paste, select all, etc.

In operation 525, the controller 401 determines whether a third gesture(for example, a drag operation) following the second gesture isperformed in the keypad display area by the user. If it is determinedthat the third gesture is performed, the controller 401 proceeds tooperation 527, and otherwise, the controller 401 proceeds to operation535.

In operation 527, the controller 401 moves one of the second areaindicators according to an input location changed by the third gesture,then proceeds to operation 529. In operation 529, the controller 401moves the first area indicator corresponding to the moved second areaindicator among the first area indicators according to the location ofthe moved second area indicator, highlights a selection area changed bythe movement of the first area indicator, and then proceeds to operation531.

In more detail, the controller 401 detects current coordinates of thethird gesture, selects the second area indicator located closest to thecurrent coordinates of the third gesture between the second areaindicators, and moves the corresponding second area indicator accordingto the current coordinates of the third gesture. The controller 401detects coordinates of the moved second area indicator, detectscoordinates of the text display area, corresponding to the coordinatesof the second area indicator, moves the first area indicatorcorresponding to the moved second area indicator to the detectedcoordinates of the text display area, re-designates a selection areaaccording to the movement of the first area indicator, and highlightsthe re-designated selection area.

For example, if a drag gesture 221 of dragging in a right direction,following the touch-and-hold operation 211, is performed by the user, asillustrated on the screen 219 of FIG. 2, the controller 401 may move thesecond area indicator 223 located in the movement direction of the dragoperation 221 among the second area indicators 213 by the movementdistance of the drag operation 221. The controller 401 may detectcoordinates of the moved second area indicator 223, move the first areaindicator 227 corresponding to the second area indicator 223 tocoordinates of the text display area, corresponding to the coordinatesof the second area indicator 223, and highlight a selection area 225changed by the movement of the first area indicator 227.

In operation 531, the controller 401 determines whether the thirdgesture (for example, a drag operation) has terminated. If it isdetermined that the third gesture has terminated, the controller 401proceeds to operation 533, and otherwise, the controller 401 proceeds tooperation 535.

In operation 533, the controller 401 displays a text editing menu, andthen proceeds to operation 535. For example, if the touch-and-dragoperation 221 has terminated, the controller 401 may display a textediting menu 231 in the keypad display area, as illustrated on thescreen 229 of FIG. 2.

In operation 535, the controller 401 determines whether one of thesecond area indicators 213 is touched and dragged by the user. If a dragoperation of dragging one of the second indicators 213 is performed, thecontroller 401 proceeds to operation 537, and otherwise, the controller401 proceeds to operation 545.

In operation 537, the controller 401 moves the dragged second indicatoraccording to a location at which the drag operation is currentlyperformed, and then proceeds to operation 539. In operation 539, thecontroller 401 moves the first area indicator corresponding to thedragged second area indicator among the first area indicators inconsideration of the location of the dragged second area indicator,highlights a selection area changed by the movement of the first areaindicator, and then, proceeds to operation 541.

For example, if one of the second area indicators is dragged inoperation 303 from the first location 305 to the second location 307,the controller 401 may move the first area indicator corresponding tothe dragged second area indicator from the third location 309 to thefourth location 311, and highlight a selection area changed by themovement of the first area indicator.

In operation 541, the controller 401 determines whether dragging one ofthe second area indicators has terminated. If operation 303 of draggingthe second area indicator has terminated, the controller 401 proceeds tooperation 543, and otherwise, the controller 401 proceeds to operation531. In operation 543, the controller 401 displays a text editing menu,and then proceeds to operation 545. For example, if operation 303 ofdragging the second area indicator has terminated, the controller 401may display a text editing menu 315 in the keypad display area.

In operation 545, the controller 401 determines whether a text selectionmode has terminated by the user. If another area except for the textediting menu on the screen is touched, the controller 401 may determinethat there is a request for terminating the text selection mode. Ifthere is a request for terminating the test selection mode, thecontroller 401 proceeds to operation 547, and otherwise, the controller401 repeatedly performs operation 545.

In operation 547, the controller 401 switches the text selection mode tothe text input mode.

Through operations described above, by moving a cursor through a keypaddisplay area in a mobile terminal, user convenience for message editingmay be improved. Also, by adjusting a size of a selection area throughthe keypad display area in the mobile terminal, user convenience formessage editing may be further improved.

The method of editing the message in the mobile terminal can beimplemented as a computer-readable recording medium encoded withinstructions that, when executed, cause a computer to execute the abovedisclosure. The computer-readable recording medium includes all types ofrecording media in which computer-readable data are stored. Examples ofthe computer-readable recording medium include a Read Only Memory (ROM),a Random Access Memory (RAM), an optical disk, a magnetic tape, a floppydisk, a hard disk, and a non-volatile memory. In addition, thecomputer-readable recording medium may be distributed to computersystems over a network, in which computer-readable code may be storedand executed in a distributed manner.

While the present disclosure has been shown and described with referenceto various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilledin the art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile terminal comprising: a touchscreendisplay; a processor coupled to the touchscreen display; and a memorycoupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores instructions that,when executed by the processor, cause the mobile terminal to: display auser input interface for receiving a text input on the touchscreendisplay, wherein the user input interface includes a first region fordisplaying a text, and a second region displaying a virtual keyboardincluding keys; receive a first touch input through one of the keys inthe second region; in response to the first touch input, input at leastone of a letter, a number, or a special character on a positioncorresponding to a cursor displayed in the first region and move thecursor from a first position to a second position according to the inputof the at least one of the letter, the number, or the special character;receive a first drag input moving from a first point corresponding to afirst key of the virtual keyboard to a second point corresponding to asecond key of the virtual keyboard in the second region; and move thecursor from the second position of the first region displaying the textto a third position of the first region displaying the text in responseto the first drag input, and wherein the touchscreen display is furtherconfigured to display, on the second region, a specific representationindicating a function for controlling a movement of the cursor whilereceiving the first drag input.
 2. The mobile terminal of claim 1,wherein a direction from the first point to the second point correspondsto a direction from the second position to the third position.
 3. Themobile terminal of claim 2, wherein a distance from the first point tothe second point corresponds to a distance from the second position tothe third position.
 4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein theinstructions further cause the processor to: receive a second drag inputmoving from a fifth point to a sixth point in the second region; andselect at least one text from a seventh point to an eighth point in thefirst region in response to the second drag input.
 5. The mobileterminal of claim 1, wherein, in response to the first touch input, anenlarged key representing the one of the keys is displayed over or nearthe one of the keys in the second region, and wherein the enlarged keyis not displayed during the first drag input after the first touchinput.
 6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first drag inputtraverses a plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard in the secondregion.
 7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the instructionsfurther cause the processor to: input at least one of the letter, thenumber, or the special character in the first region, in response to atouch and a release of the first touch input; and move the cursor in thefirst region, in response to the first drag input on maintaining thefirst touch input.
 8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the movingof the cursor from the third point to the fourth point includes ahorizontal direction if the first drag input includes horizontalmovement and includes a vertical direction if the first drag inputincludes vertical movement greater than a threshold.
 9. The mobileterminal of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause theprocessor to: indicate, in response to a second touch input, a startingpoint of selection of the text, and select, in response to a seconddragging input, a range of the text from the starting point to an endpoint based on the second dragging input.
 10. The mobile terminal ofclaim 1, wherein a representation of the cursor displayed during thefirst drag input is different from a representation of the cursordisplayed during the first touch input.
 11. A method of editing text ina mobile terminal, the method comprising: displaying a user inputinterface for receiving a text input on a touchscreen display of themobile terminal, wherein the user input interface includes a firstregion for displaying a text, and a second region displaying a virtualkeyboard including keys; receiving a first touch input through one ofthe keys in the second region; in response to the first touch input,receiving an input of at least one of a letter, a number, or a specialcharacter on a position corresponding to a cursor displayed in the firstregion and moving the cursor from a first position to a second positionaccording to the input of the at least one of the letter, the number, orthe special character; receiving a first drag input moving from a firstpoint corresponding to a first key of the virtual keyboard to a secondpoint corresponding to a second key of the virtual keyboard in thesecond region; and moving the cursor from the second position of thefirst region displaying the text to a third position of the first regiondisplaying the text in response to the first drag input, and wherein thetouchscreen display is further configured to display, on the secondregion, a specific representation indicating a function for controllinga movement of the cursor while receiving the first drag input.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, wherein a direction from the first point to thesecond point corresponds to a direction from the second position to thethird position.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein a distance from thefirst point to the second point corresponds to a distance from thesecond position to the third position.
 14. The method of claim 11,further comprising: receiving a second drag input moving from a fifthpoint to a sixth point in the second region; and selecting at least onetext from a seventh point to an eighth point in the first region inresponse to the second drag input.
 15. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising: displaying, in response to the first touch input, anenlarged key representing the one of the keys over or near the one ofthe keys in the second region, wherein the enlarged key is not displayedduring the first drag input after the first touch input.
 16. The methodof claim 11, wherein the first drag input traverses a plurality of keyson the virtual keyboard in the second region.
 17. The method of claim11, further comprising: inputting at least one of the letter, thenumber, or the special character in the first region, in response to atouch and a release of the first touch input; and moving the cursor inthe first region, in response to the first drag input on maintaining thefirst touch input.
 18. The method of claim 11, wherein the moving of thecursor from the second position to the third position includes ahorizontal direction if the first drag input includes horizontalmovement and includes a vertical direction if the first drag inputincludes vertical movement greater than a threshold.
 19. The method ofclaim 11, further comprising: indicating, in response to a second touchinput, a starting point of selection of the text, and selecting, inresponse to a second dragging input, a range of the text from thestarting point to an end point based on the second dragging input.
 20. Amobile terminal comprising: a touchscreen display; a processor coupledto the touchscreen display; and a memory coupled to the processor,wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed by theprocessor, cause the mobile terminal to: display a user input interfacefor receiving a text input on the touchscreen display, wherein the userinput interface includes a first region for displaying a text, and asecond region displaying a virtual keyboard including keys; receive afirst touch input through one of the keys in the second region; inresponse to the first touch input, display an enlarged key representingthe one of the keys over or near the one of the keys in the secondregion; in response to the first touch input, input at least one of: aletter, a number, or a special character on a position corresponding toa cursor displayed in the first region and move the cursor from a firstposition to a second position according to the input of the at leastone: of the letter, the number, or the special character; receive afirst drag input moving from a first point corresponding to a first keyof the virtual keyboard to a second point corresponding to a second keyof the virtual keyboard in the second region; move the cursor from thesecond position of the first region displaying the text to a thirdposition of the first region displaying the text in response to thefirst drag input; and display no enlarged key in the second regionduring the first drag input, and wherein the touchscreen display isfurther configured to display, on the second region, a specificrepresentation indicating a function for controlling a movement of thecursor while receiving the first drag input.